Brunswick’s Long commits to Notre Dame
When he announced his college commitment on Monday, Brunswick junior safety Ethan Long said that a player doesn’t choose Notre Dame, that Notre Dame chooses you.
Whichever way the decision went, Long committed to South Bend.
“Every single time I set foot on that campus, my heart just feels like I’m home, and I just feel so welcome. They took me in right away,” Long said after making his announcement on 247sports.com’s YouTube page.
“(Head) coach Marcus Freeman, Coach (defensive backs coach Chris) O’Leary, Coach (defensive coordinator Al) Golden, the whole staff, they’re building something special over there, and if you can’t see it, just know that we’re on the rise.”
Long, from Milford, had revealed five finalists before announcing his commitment: Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin. A UCLA hat appeared on the table Monday afternoon, too.
Long said the Fighting Irish exceeded his expectations in the recruiting process, took care of his family and did everything right.
He’s listed at 6-foot-2, 185 pounds.
“His last name is a bit of a cheat sheet: He’s long. He’s lengthy,” recruiting analyst Blair Angulo said on the show. “He’s a player with high physical upside. You pop on the tape and you see his arms kind of dangling below his knees. You see he’s going to have some of that ability to grow, and he’s going to get bigger, physical.
“I love what he’s able to do near the line of scrimmage as well. When you factor in what modern college football likes to do — spread the ball around, look to get the ball to their running backs in the flat — he’s going to be able to neutralize a lot of that with his ability to cover in space.”
Long joined Brunswick for the 2022 season, reclassifying as a sophomore; he also plays basketball for the Bruins. He was a sophomore starter at St. Joseph in 2021 (his old school got a mention in Long’s list of thanks Monday) and was a thirdteam New Haven Register All-State selection.
Notre Dame, Long said, is going to get a worker.
“You’re not going to see me stop working,” he said. “I’m going to be in the classroom working hard, on the field working hard, in the gym working hard. You’re not going to see me stop. You’re going to get everything out of me.”